Blade's ice blue eyes narrowed as he carefully gaged his altitude. A lot of factors came into play when fighting a wildfire. So many things could go wrong and one false move, one mistake, could either cause a setback in containment or worse, someone could get hurt or killed. His eyes flickered momentarily over to his chief and mentor, a tan colored former military Blackhawk named Ares. Though named for the god of war, he was usually quite peaceful unless his temper was aroused. Blade had borne the brunt of it several times and each time he hoped to avoid it a second time, to no avail. Now though, the two had grown quite close and Blade was Ares' proud second in command. He'd only recently dropped his white and blue CHoPS colors for the more traditional firefighting red with black stripes.

Ares gave Blade a nod and the red helicopter lined himself up just ahead of the south flank of he fire, letting loose his retardant in a split load. Windlifter tacked on and extended, also in a split load. The less retardant they could waste, the better. Every little bit helped. Blade knew he could trust his teammates and didn't have to remind them how to perform a task. They were experienced, certified firefighters who knew what they were doing.

A loud grinding noise from just above him made Blade look up. A strong crosswind had forced the older helicopter to increase his torque to compensate. His old engine had been giving him problems recently though he hadn't shared it with anyone besides Maru. It would sieze up and stall on occasion, such as when being pushed like it was now. His rapidly spinning rotors began to slow their rotation and he struggled to remain aloft. Then his main rotor assembly stopped all together. He dropped in a straight line towards the ground. "NO!" Blade shouted and dove after him, activating his hoist. As usual, his aim was excellent and he caught Ares by his tail assembly but the weight was too much and Blade was soon being pulled to the ground as well. At the last second he released the hook and both copters rolled for several hundred yards. Blade landed wheels down and rolled over to Ares. The older helicopter lay on his side, his breathing rapid and shallow. He coughed and opened his eyes. "Blade," he croaked. "Lead the team, get this fire out." He groaned. "Ares..." Blade began. Ares fixed him with his signature hard stare, his violet eyes narrowing. Blade knew there was no argument. "I'll come back for you." He promised and lifted off into the air. Ares watched him rise back up into the sky, quickly giving orders to the team over the radio. Blade would come back alright but Ares doubted he'd find him alive as the old helicopter felt the gears in his engine turn slower, and slower and slower...

It took Blade and the rest of the team 3 hours to contain the rest of the fire. Once the Smokejumpers reported in, Blade raced back to the clear patch of forest in which Ares had fallen. As he was going into land, he heard the old helicopter's voice on his radio. "I know what you're thinking Blade and please, don't. It's not like-like before. I'm not Nick, this isn't CHoPS! But the result is the same..." Ares sighed. "Ares, please don't speak like that." Blade begged. He made his way over to him and looked down at his chief, his mentor, his friend and came to the sorrowing realization, Ares was dying.

Ares' weak violet gaze remained unwavering as he looked at his former student turned second in command. "You're in charge now." He gasped between breaths. "This team is my family, lead them well." Blade dipped his head, feeling the burn of tears in his eyes. "I will." He promised. A shudder ran through Ares from nose tip to the end of his tail and he gave a small cry of pain. Blade gently brushed his snout against Ares' side. "Shh, it's alright." He whispered. The haunted look in his eyes wasn't missed by the ever watchful chief. "What did I tell you?" Ares growled. "I know but, I can't help it. It's too close..." Blade whispered. Ares' gaze softened. "I know. I know." He murmured. "You told me everything. But you pulled through then you can pull through now. This life you've now chosen, Nick would be proud of you and-and so am I." He rasped. Blade wasn't sure what to say to that. "Thank you." He replied. Ares closed his eyes, his head falling back to the ground. Even now he seemed to be fighting for life. Blade hated seeing his mentor like his. Ares was meant to be tough, he wanted him to die tough, not weak and whimpering in pain like he was now. "It's alright Ares, it's okay. Don't cling to life because of me. Go where your spirit may be pain free. You have my permission to go, Ares." Blade whispered. The old helicopter gave a soft sigh and his flanks stilled. The last moving parts in his engine stopped altogether.

Blade couldn't stop the tears from coming, nor could he stop the anguished roar that escaped him. It echoed through the night for miles and his team, circling above knew what had happened. They all flew over the crash sight, tipping their wings in respect to their old leader and the new leader's cries sounded through the night.